I have four children and would like to allow them to each pick a souvenir and snack of their choosing each day of our 3 day trip to DL over Christmas. What would be a good budget for each of them. I want them to be able to pick something they would like, but not necessarily EVERYTHING they would like! :D

For a souvenier, anywhere between $10-$50 each. A keychain can run about $10, a shirt about $20-$30, and a stuffed animal $35-$50.

A snack, $5, $10 tops. Churros, a Disneyland favorite, are $2.75. Same for a pretzel or soda, but for $8 or $10 for an ice cream sundae.

One thing my parents used to do for us five kids to get souveniers was have us earn some money, in a way.

They would start all of us out with a certain amount, months before the trip (maybe $10 a kid). Then over the following months, we would earn or lose money depending on our behavior. 50 cents for doing a chore.....losing 50 cents if we talked back, or disobeyed....that way, not only were we earning money, but my parents weren't just giving us something we wouldn't appreciate AND they got more obedient kids out of the bargain.

Course....I think I was about six....I don't know how old your kids are, and if that would work on them.

Since your trip is at Christmas time, there will be a lot of seasonal souvenirs and snacks, which may mean a dollar or two more per child, per day, if they make those choices.

You will have a wonderful time no matter what, but bear in mind that the week between Christmas and New Year's Day is extremely crowded. It just takes some extra planning to make the most of your visit during that week.



-Allegra-

This is a column from some time back, but still has some good ideas to inspire kids to earn and save their own money for using at Disneyland!

http://www.mouseplanet.com/magicyears/my032301.htm

I noticed this thread will be moved, although I'm not sure why. :crying: But my dc will be 7, 5, 3 and 1 so I don't expect them to earn much. I probably can get the older two to earn some, but they already do much of what I expect them to. (Clean room, etc.) I was just wanting to generalize my budget for them. I plan on handing 7 and 5 yo their money at the beginning of each day and helping them make wise desions on how to spend it on something they would like. Last year my 6 yo took $8 of her own money and got a stuffed animal at Rainforest Cafe and a coloring book at DL. Pretty impressive for $8!!

lol--No, I don't suppose they would be earning a lot of their own money, although you could do the recycling thing as a family if you aren't doing it already. One good thing about kids--they really appreciate having cash and the opportunity to choose their own stuff. So, I'm sure that when you give them their money every day they will be able to find something they will love with it--even if it's just a few dollars. Disneyland does have lots of souveniers in the $5.00 range--really fun stuff too, in my opinion. The memories those souveniers provide your kids will last them a lifetime--and getting to choose the items themselves will be a big part of those memories! I think it's wonderful that you are thinking ahead about that on their behalf! When my kids are choosing a souvenier, it is an all-day process. They start looking right away and find something they like, but, thinking there might be something they like more somewhere else, they never buy right away. The search for the perfect thing goes on all day and often ends up right back at the first thing. (Usually this is on the other side of the Park from where you happen to be--haha!) Have fun and enjoy your vacation!

I may have seen them here, but I found some tips about kids, money, & choosing souvenirs that I plan to use on our trip. Here they are (I'm putting it in list form because I'm a teacher & a little bit of an organizational freak):

1) Change their money into Disney Dollars beforehand - partly because it's cute but also because they'll probably want to keep a couple as souvenirs (wow - getting a memento by not spending cash!)

2) Tell them ahead of time what you will buy for them (I do this with allowances already) - for example, books are always freebies for my kids and of course snacks.

3) Give them guidelines about acceptable souvenirs - whatever they take home should actually say "Disneyland" or be exclusive to the park.

4) Keep money at the hotel but have them bring their wallets with notecards inside - whenever they see something they'd love to buy, they write what it is, how much it costs, and where it's sold.

5) Designate the day/time you will do your actual souvenir buying then go over their lists, make a plan & go get stuff :cool:

As I said, these are not entirely my own ideas & I have not used them yet (except in the case of weekly allowances)...So I wish you luck!

Have fun*stephanie